Subject: RE: GOUT

From: [email-masked] ("Edmund White")
Date: Sat, 14 May 1994 15:50:40 GMT

There seem to be a number of schools of thought on this one.  I first 
suffered from an attack whilst living in France, and was told by my 
docter to keep off all offal meats, most oily fish (herring etc), all 
shell fish, all dried pulses, high fat cheeses (brie roquefort etc), nuts 
and alcohol.  This made life rather boring, but balanced against the pain 
of an attack, necessary!  I was also treated with Colchicine.  I had one 
or two repeat attacks, and always felt guily (or in danger!) if I ate any 
of the *forbidden* foods.

I have now been back in the UK for 4 years after 10 years in France, have 
totally ignored the diet restrictions, and only suffered one attack.  My 
docter here thinks that the probability of an attack is nothing to do 
with diet, but is caused mainly by an inbalance in blood chemistry which 
should be treated with drugs.  Neither my father nor grandfathers appear 
to have suffered from gout, so there is no hereditary line.

My own feeling (and from memory) is that attacks happened during periods 
of high stress, and after perhaps too much white wine (especially 
sparkling) over a period of a few days.

Some years ago I found a newspaper report sugesting that gout and high 
levels of intelligence went together!  Maybe there are some recompences 
for the awful pain!